Scars of the Past is a very well written romance. I enjoyed the plot and the character dynamics. I highly recommend this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

3.25 Stars

This book is a very important topics of suicide, survivors guilt, PTSD, and loss of a family member. This book is however probably a romance but I do you want to put that these are very important topics that are raised in this book and added that depth and reality to a love story.

I really enjoyed the romance between Reid and Keira from the typical meet cute to the stand-off attitude, Misunderstandings and winning each other around before getting past their histories to actually trusting each other and confronting their feelings. I also loved the dog and pet rescue element of the spec and watching their attachment between bones and Reid grow!

I was a bit confused to start with with the different points of view changing without warning but quickly got into a rhythm of working out which character we were following.

Heroes Rise, it’s such a big ambition and a key part of the story it was good to see it grow within this book and would love to continue following its progress. I get the feeling that some of the secondary characters in this book had history in the previous books which I haven’t read yet, but this story as it says is a complete standalone fully enjoy the story without having read the previous books.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

I'm tapping out of this one at 56% after trying and trying to get into the story for two weeks.

Try as one might, I do my best to not let a cover completely influence my opinion of what I think a story is going to be about. Except...don't authors have their covers designed with the intent of giving readers a good first impression? So what I was expecting this book to be about was a wounded soldier - an amputee - whose buddy ropes him into walking across the country in an effort to raise awareness and money to help other struggling soldiers, and along the way he meets a woman and falls in love.

Maybe we would have gotten there eventually, but after over half the book, the soldiers are still months away from leaving on their journey, and the hero and heroine - after getting off on the wrong foot with each other - aren't even talking after a miscommunication during their first date. There's been a lot of talk about pet adoption (a great interest of the author, apparently) which is all well and good, except I'm here for a story about an amputee walking across the country with his own rescue dog and best friend.

There wasn't anything about the writing I found objectionable, but it failed to pull me in, failed to keep my interest, and the pacing moved so incredibly slow I was distracted by anything and everything around me. I really, really dislike DNFing a book - especially one I've requested in exchange for a review, but if I find myself completely unmotivated to read at all, it's time to move on.

* thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I loved this heart wrenching story about Reid and Kiera. They are both wounded warriors and have their own scars. I couldn't put it down until the final page.. This story took me on an emotional roller coaster ride with the characters and their highs and lows. This book touches on suicide, personal drama and healing. I would highly recommend this book. I received this book for free and I am voluntarily leaving this review.

Scars of the Past: A Wounded Warrior is the third book in the Oak Creek series. This is a new author for me and I’m so glad I got to read this book. It was a very emotional book and being a veteran myself, I could empathize with the characters. The author describes the effects of war and symptoms of PTSD on soldiers beautifully. The characters are easy to connect with and their emotions can be felt throughout the book.
Reid McCabe had lost men, his military career, and half a leg in an explosion in Afghanistan. He missed the tight bond he had with his fellow soldiers. When Houston Miller, his former Platoon leader, emailed him about raising awareness of veteran suicide rates, Reid felt like he had a purpose in life again. Adopting Yard, a three-legged dog, complicated his trip but Yard provided him with some much-needed comfort. Working with Houston and helping other veterans helps Reid find peace. He never expected to find love again after his previous girlfriend left him after discovering his amputation. Falling for Keira complicated his life even more. Keira isn’t looking for a relationship, but Reid manages to get through all the barriers she has erected. He’s straight forward and has a soft spot for stray dogs. She can’t seem to resist the attraction between the two of them. But can they overcome all their fears, or will the past keep them from having their happy ever after?
Although I was slightly confused after reading the prologue and then reading further and discovering the man in the prologue was not the main character. Later when Matt, the man in the prologue, was introduced into the story it all made sense. I really enjoyed reading this book and even though I cried through it, I was so glad to see Reid happy in the end.

Thank you NetGalley for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited for this story but unfortunately it was somewhat disappointing. The hero was very condescending and arrogant and I honestly was so annoyed by it that I couldn't finish the book. I really wanted to but after a while just didn't see the sense in getting mad the whole time. I may pick it up again in a while and try to read it with a fresh mind. Because I didn't get all that far I can't say a lot more. The story line itself was intriguing and I believe there is a lot of potential if you can overlook the hero's superiority complex.

So wow! I am utterly blown away by this book. My husband suffers from PTSD daily as a disabled veteran and I am always looking for stories that portray PTSD in any fashion. This book did it right. The emotions were exact and the scars were so real. I loved Reid and his wounds and I just want to heal him. I think this book would be a great read for spouses of veterans with PTSD. Often, we are the ones left without support and sometimes you just don't know what to do but in this book you really get deep into the despair and hurt of the soldiers.
I will be recommending this to all the spouses I know.
I didn't know this was the 3rd in a series so I need to look for the other titles.

Thanks to Netgalley for my ebook cop.y

A well-documented story about a wounded veteran dealing with physical and emotional scars and the process of healing.
Reid’s (and other veterans) journey through severe PTSD and learning to live with his new normal is realistic and poignant at times, with its emphasis on his noble and altruistic organization.
The romance with Keira takes a backseat in a story full of relatable human and animal characters. The miscommunication factor drags the romantic plot a bit too much.
The writing style seemed a bit dry sometimes, with its documentary approach; the suspense dimension related to Bill felt a bit contrived.